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Phő Cuòng
3016 N. Classen Blvd.Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 524-5045
Oklahoma City's Asian District has been home to a large number of Vietnamese refugees
and their families since they first settled in the United States, and there has been no shortage
of Vietnamese food in the area around Classen Boulevard. Some of the more recent restaurants,
though, such as Phő Cuòng, operate on a smaller scale than the early restaurants, and have
dropped some of the features previously thought to be necessary such as offering a Chinese
menu and mainly serving dishes thought to be more popular with Americans.
The family owned Phő Cuòng appeals mainly to people who only want authentic
Vietnamese food, and whether or not they are familiar with different Vietnamese dishes they
at least appreciate good quality. I recommend this restaurant not only to those who have
extensive experience with Vietnamese food, but also to those who just want to try things they
cannot find in most restaurants. This includes several dishes that are served in other
restaurants, but which Phő Cuòng prepares with an "authentic taste" that is not evident
in all of the city's Vietnamese restaurants.
I have had trouble in some of the other smaller Vietnamese restaurants because it seemed
that everything had MSG, and even if I wanted to try some of the more authentic dishes they
would likely cause unpleasant side effects. It can be a real challenge trying some of the
smaller ethnic restaurants, but the only method I know that works is trial and error.
One good sign with Phő Cuòng is that it serves dishes from different regions of Vietnam
(and is one of the few restaurants that even acknowledges that Vietnam has different cooking styles).
This makes me think that the restaurant knows enough about Vietnamese cooking to at least
prepare it the right way.
On my first visit I wanted to ask a lot of questions before I ordered anything to find out what
would best expand my horizons with Vietnamese food and that I would likely enjoy. The waitress
called the owner to my table, who said she could not guarantee that anything was MSG-free, but
that a relatively small amount was used and that some types of dishes had more MSG than others.
Moreover, she seemed to know exactly the type of food I desired, so with her help I felt comfortable
placing an order.
The result of the owner's recommendation was an order of Bánh Tam Tom Thit Nuóng,
a thick vermicelli with grilled pork skin and shrimp in coconut syrup and a special sauce.
The coconut sauce made it sound interesting, and was not something I had tried anywhere else.
The pork skin was the only part of it about which I was hesitant, but it turned out to be crispy and
very good. The coconut syrup was in a cup on the side, so I ended up eating part of the meal
with the syrup and part of it without it (both were good). The special sauce was a thin fish sauce
similar to the ones served in many Vietnamese restaurants with vermicelli noodle dishes. Grilled
onions, nuts, and spices were added to the mix of flavors. The pork skin probably expanded my
horizon a little as to what I was willing to try, but it turned out to be very worthwhile. I do not think the
result would have been as good in the hands of a less experienced chef, leading me to think that
Phő Cuòng is one of the better places to try new dishes.
Having recently tried Bún bò Huê for the first time, I tried it at Phő Cuòng for
comparison. Wikipedia describes this as a soup with rice noodles that are thicker than the ones
used in pho, cooked with beef bones for a long period of time, and flavored with lemongrass and
shrimp paste. The menus at Vietnamese restaurants usually describe the meats that are
used, including pig's feet and beef shank. Other restaurants include congealed pig blood balls,
but Phő Cuòng did not. This made me think perhaps this version was not as
authentic as others I have tried, but apparently the types of "mystery meat" thrown in are optional
with each chef. To me the outstanding feature of this soup was the flavor of the broth, and I thought
it was outstanding regardless of the meat used (I did not care much for some of the meat that
was included, but others were quite good). According to Wikipedia the soup is not always spicy, but
this one was on the spicy side (but to me this just made it better). I was quite impressed with this
dish that is considered one of Vietnam's favorites, but is rather hard to find in American Vietnamese
restaurants.
Phő Cuòng is probably best known for its Pho, and I could not feel that I had done a
complete review of the food without trying it. The decision making process proved to be rather
daunting, with quite a few choices of soup available. I figured a good choice would be No. 8
that included eye round steak, well done flank, and fat brisket. I usually like rare steak in pho,
but all of the meats in this soup proved to be quite good. The broth was the real highlight, with
the flavor of the pho being the best I have tried in OKC. The pho dishes at several other
restaurants are so close that I would not advise making a special trip just to try the one here, but
for those who want to try the best I would say this is probably it.
Most of the time appetizers do not seem to be anything exciting, but the ones at
Phő Cuòng are an example of the fact that even the "ordinary" Vietnamese food here
can prove to be better than expected. An order of spring rolls included three different kinds
of rolls, all with a unique taste and a unique sauce. If I had to say what made these better
than most it would probably be their freshness, but I would not discount the possibility that
the sauces were made from a "secret recipe."
I probably have not been to another Vietnamese restaurant in OKC in which everything
I tried has been so consistently good. Phő Cuòng does not have the most extensive
menu in the Asian District, but it is a place in which I know that everything is high quality.
Bánh tam tom thit nuo'ng with coconut sauce on the side
Bún bò Huê
Pho with eye round steak, well done flank, and fat brisket
Shredded pork roll, fried egg roll, and fresh spring roll
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RESTAURANT DETAILS
RATING: 24
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Cost: $$
Hours: Open Daily
Accessible: Yes
Tea: Jasmine (brewed)
MSG: Yes
Smoking: No Smoking
Buffet: No
Most Recent Visit
Jun. 29, 2010
Number of Visits: 3
Best Items
Pho, Banh Tam Tom Thit Nuong
Special Ratings
Pho:
Banh Tam Tom Thit Nuong:
Bun Bo Hue:
Spring Roll:
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